TWO friends who launched a sweet treat venture in their 50s have revealed the secrets behind creating a successful business.
Sally Jenkin, 59, and Carol Myott, 62, began Flapjackery in 2015 and have gone on to rake in more than £2m thanks to their tasty baked bars.
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In the last 10 months alone, they’ve generated about £800,000 in sales – and no one was more surprised than the kindred friends.
The two women met at country markets in Tavistock, West Devon, where they each sold homemade cakes, bonding over their love of cooking and similar thinking.
Sally told The Sun Online: “You do meet people in life sometimes and you just sort of hit it off with them, and that was that.”
A couple of years later in 2015, Carol rang Sally to ask if she would be interested in making a few flapjacks with her to sell at local farmers markets.
Sally was eager, although slightly nervous as she’d never tried making flapjacks before.
Together, they developed some recipes and took their creations to stalls all around the country where they were a huge hit as they opened their first shop in Tavistock.
Suddenly they had outgrown the local farmers’ markets and instead were attending the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.
Eventually, they found an empty unit on an industrial estate in Tavistock which already had a purpose built kitchen.
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They were turning over £80,000 but when Covid struck their sales fell to less than half when events like the BBC Good Food Show, Badminton Horse Trials and Royal Windsor were cancelled.
Like so many others, they were forced to remodel their business where – but interest online grew stronger as people rushed online to make a purchase during lockdowns.
As England transitioned out of the pandemic, Cathy and Sally found their feet again and decided to explore more retails shops.
In 2021 they opened shops in Wells, Minehead, Plymouth and St Ives, with a sixth shop soon to open in Bath.
Their turnover was £1.2 in September but within the last 10 months, their turnover has skyrocketed to more than £2m in sales.
Carol and Sally say they prove that age is no barrier when it comes to creating a great business.
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